On scaling bike parking space in Tokyo by going underground

With an estimated 9 million cyclists, Tokyo has a parking problem. Japanese engineering firm Giken Seisakusho believes the solution involves going underground. Their Eco Cycle underground bike parking is only 8.15 meters in diameter, but it can store up to 204 bicycles.

The idea began with underground car parking (Eco Park) 20 years ago. They later moved into parking bicycles below ground and today the firm has 47 Eco Cycle units: 28 in Tokyo and 19 in other Japanese cities.

Giken’s Tsunenobu Nozaki gave us a tour of one of their smart underground systems at Tokyo’s Hachioji Train Station that spins bikes into a parking spots as deep as 11 meters in just 13 seconds.